fun for food fanatics. allergen-friendly eats. give plants a chance.

clean out the frige: pasta

I know everyone has ingredients and food in their refrigerators that has been half-used, or put to the way-side… So, what do we do with these “reject” ingredients? I typically try to use mine up or incorporate them into whatever else I’m making if possible. I absolutely HATE wasting food. This time, I made a pasta dish entirely from the reject ingredients, and the outcome was anything but rejection-worthy. This dish is something you’d pay $20-$25 for one serving in an upscale restaurant. I was happy with the outcome! There were 2 large servings, or 4 smaller servings of this pasta. I actually ate all of it because I was flying solo this evening – no regrets.

Pasta ingredients:

1/2 lb dry fettuccine pasta, cooked according to al-dente directions on box. (Add about 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp of oil to boiling water to prevent pasta sticking)

1 cup leftover artichoke & hearts of palm salad (my mom made this with canned artichoke hearts and hearts of palm… she used just olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the dressing), chopped up

2 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil

1/4 cup Follow Your Heart Vegan Parmesan Shreds

1 Fieldroast Vegan Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4 cube pieces

1/4 cup freshly chopped basil

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

directions:

In a large soup pot, bring water to a boil, adding salt and oil to the mixture. Once boiling, add your pasta – cook according to box directions for al-dente (about 9-10 minutes), drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil on high heat. Add your vegan sausage pieces and cook until golden brown, then add your chopped olives. Add the artichoke/hearts of palm salad mixture – continue to saute for about 5 minutes. Fold in about half of the basil into the mixture and continue to saute. Add the 1/2 cup water and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar next. Let this cook for about 7 minutes on medium heat until a sauce is created. Add more water or balsamic if necessary – you be the judge. Next, fold in your cooked pasta and make sure everything is coated and consistent. Top with the Follow Your Heart Vegan Parmesan shreds, and the remaining fresh basil.

Dinner complete… I hope you enjoy this pasta creation from reject ingredients.